YearToAvoid

2020 Buick Enclave Problems, Recalls & Reliability

Verdict

Good

Complaint Index

40/100

#10 most-complained of 16 Enclave years

The 2020 Buick Enclave has a Complaint Index of 40, ranking 10th of 16 model years, with a 'Good' verdict. It has 59 complaints, 6 recalls, and no fires, with Engine as the top problem area at 32% of complaints.

Complaints
59
Recalls
6
Crashes / fires
3 / 0
Injuries / deaths
2 / 0
NHTSA overall rating
5 / 5 ★
EPA combined MPG
20.5
17.5 city / 25.5 hwy

Top 2020 Buick Enclave problems

NHTSA owner complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Engine19 (32%)
  2. Other13 (22%)
  3. Electrical System10 (17%)
  4. Transmission & Powertrain9 (15%)
  5. Fuel System8 (14%)
  6. Brakes6 (10%)
  7. Seat Belts3 (5%)
  8. Steering3 (5%)
  9. Suspension, Wheels & Tires3 (5%)
  10. Structure & Body2 (3%)

What owners report

  • Some owners report the transmission jerking or hesitating during gear shifts shortly after purchase, in one case at 600 miles.
  • Owners describe the vehicle unexpectedly lurching forward when shifted into drive, including one incident that caused a crash.
  • Some report the vehicle suddenly dropping from highway speed to about 20 mph while displaying a 'cannot shift in this position' message, traced to a faulty fuel tank sensor.
  • Owners describe the rear liftgate failing to latch or lock, allowing cargo to fall out and in one case causing a rear-end collision.
  • Some report brakes grinding under hard or regular braking along with jerking at low speeds when accelerating.
  • One owner described control arm, ball joint, and axle driveshaft failure causing the vehicle to pull left and shed parts while driving, at 33,000 miles.
2020 Buick Enclave complaints: complaints filed per month8Jun 2020May 2021May 2023Mar 2024Dec 2024Aug 2025Apr 2026Sep 2026
79 complaints filed with NHTSA from Jun 2020 to Sep 2026; peak Mar 2026 (8).

2020 Buick Enclave recalls

6 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.

  1. NHTSA 21V115000Feb 25, 2021Suspension, Wheels & Tires33,838 vehicles

    Tires

    General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, XT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, Traverse, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, 2018-2021 Chevrolet Express, GMC Savana, 2019-2020 Chevrolet Blazer, Silverado 1500, GMC Acadia, Sierra 1500, and certain Continental tires sold to the aftermarket for various model year 2018-2021 vehicles. The affected tires were cured for too long during production.

    Risk: Over cured tires may develop a break in the sidewall resulting in sudden air loss or a belt edge separation which could lead to a tread/belt loss. Either condition can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tires, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 22, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N212329050.

  2. NHTSA 20V684000Nov 5, 2020Suspension, Wheels & Tires7,516 vehicles

    Tires

    General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT5, GMC Acadia and Chevrolet Traverse vehicles and 2020-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles. The vehicles may have been manufactured with Continental tires that were overcured.

    Risk: Overcured tires may experience a carcass break in the sidewall resulting in a sudden air loss or could develop a belt edge separation which could lead to partial or full tread/belt loss. Either condition increases the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect vehicles and replace tires that have DOT number and production mold number combinations identified by Continental, free of charge. The recall began December 17, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202319030.

  3. NHTSA 20V668000Oct 29, 2020Transmission & Powertrain194,105 vehicles

    Power train:automatic transmission

    General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse, 2018-2020 Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Terrain, 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, 2019-2020 Buick Encore, Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Acadia, and 2020 Cadillac XT6 vehicles. The start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing bolts.

    Risk: Missing bolts on the start-stop accumulator endcap could result in a transmission oil leak and may progress to a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash. A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of fire.

    Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the start-stop transmission accumulator and replace it if any bolts are missing, free of charge. The recall began December 15, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick Customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313440.

See all 6 recalls for the 2020 Buick Enclave →

2020 Buick Enclave fuel economy and fuel cost

City
17.5 MPG
Highway
25.5 MPG
Combined
20.5 MPG
Annual fuel cost (EPA)
$3,175
15,000 mi/yr
Fuel
Regular
Current regular gas
$4.32/gal
national avg.

EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.

2020 compared with other Enclave years

Complaint Index by model year (0 = fewest issues, 100 = most)0255075100’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best
YearVerdictIndexComplaintsRecallsMPG
2018Good3364020.5
2019Best2042120.5
2020Good4059620.5
2021Best725220.5
2022Best013120.5

All Buick Enclave years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2020 Buick Enclave reliable?
Based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, the 2020 Enclave has a Complaint Index of 40 and ranks 10th out of 16 model years, earning a 'Good' verdict relative to other Enclave years.
What are the most common problems with the 2020 Buick Enclave?
NHTSA data shows Engine complaints lead at 32% of all reports, followed by Electrical System at 17%, Transmission & Powertrain at 15%, and Fuel System at 14%.
Does the 2020 Buick Enclave have any recalls?
NHTSA lists 6 recalls for the 2020 Enclave, covering suspension/tires, transmission accumulator bolts, fuel pump module, airbags, and a cracked frame rail; none are do-not-drive recalls.
At what mileage do 2020 Enclave problems tend to show up?
The median mileage at failure across all reported issues is 5,550 miles, though Transmission & Powertrain and Brakes issues show a median of 2,650 miles.
How does the 2020 Enclave compare to other years?
The 2020 Enclave's Complaint Index of 40 is far lower than the worst year, 2014, at 100, but higher than the best years, 2022 at 0 and 2021 at 7.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.